What Does the Bible Say About Speaking Ill Of Others?

Titus 3:1-15 ESV / 36 helpful votes

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ...

Colossians 3:8 ESV / 28 helpful votes

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Ephesians 4:31 ESV / 22 helpful votes

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Philippians 4:8 ESV / 18 helpful votes

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

1 Corinthians 6:10 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 2:1-25 ESV / 10 helpful votes

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ...

James 1:26 ESV / 10 helpful votes

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

Romans 12:19 ESV / 10 helpful votes

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Jude 1:23 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

James 4:11-12 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Proverbs 17:9 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

1 Timothy 2:1-15 ESV / 5 helpful votes

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ...

Jude 1:22 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And have mercy on those who doubt;

James 3:13 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

Joel 2:28 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

1 John 2:1-29 ESV / 2 helpful votes

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ...

Titus 1:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes

One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

2 Corinthians 5:18 ESV / 2 helpful votes

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ...

3 John 1:5-8 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

2 Peter 1:12 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.

Hebrews 6:10 ESV / 1 helpful vote

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV / 1 helpful vote

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ...

Colossians 1:1-29 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ...

Ephesians 5:26 ESV / 1 helpful vote

That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

Ephesians 4:30 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 2:8 ESV / 1 helpful vote

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:7 ESV / 1 helpful vote

So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:4 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

Ephesians 1:3 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Galatians 5:3 ESV / 1 helpful vote

I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

2 Corinthians 3:8 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?

1 Corinthians 2:1-16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. ...

Romans 15:5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

Romans 5:19 ESV / 1 helpful vote

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:11 ESV / 1 helpful vote

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 3:24 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 3:20 ESV / 1 helpful vote

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Romans 2:4 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Acts 22:16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Acts 13:39 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Acts 2:33 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

Acts 2:18 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

John 5:19 ESV / 1 helpful vote

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

John 3:16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:1-36 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ...

John 1:12 ESV / 1 helpful vote

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Luke 4:41 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

Matthew 28:20 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Isaiah 62:6 ESV / 1 helpful vote

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest,

Isaiah 44:3 ESV / 1 helpful vote

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

53 Bible Verses about Speaking Ill Of Others